Stigma
by Asuka Kimi
Summary: Sesshoumaru made many mistakes, but this one could be a little too much. It's all too late when he realizes what costs him his own pride is his very cursed denial.
1. Chapter 1

**Inuyasha** **© Rumiko Takahashi**

* * *

 **1\. You don't know what you have until it's gone**

* * *

Maybe he had truly gone soft. There was no more suitable explanation to it. He could barely tolerate Inuyasha before, let alone stand patiently waiting for whatever Inuyasha was going to tell him. Of course he knew this was coming. Rin had dropped more than enough subtle hints to annoy him without suffering consequences in the past month. Even if she hadn't told him, he was smart enough to realize the meaning behind those lingering gaze and sometimes dazing expression on Inuyasha's face, before they morphed into wistful and sardonic curl of lips when he turned his back. He knew Inuyasha had fallen, for him. It didn't help the fact that his silence gave Inuyasha unnecessary hope above all assumptions, to keep hoping. It would cause him less trouble if both Inuyasha and Rin just accepted his lack of response as his way to say _"No"_ without voicing it aloud and looked like the total bastard in their past feud that Inuyasha used to accuse him. Now he regretted not showing off that well-known reputation of his more often in her presence and it had come back to bite him.

"What do you want." He demanded, wanting more than anything to get this over with so he could be on his way.

Inuyasha momentarily tensed up at his cold tone. Sesshoumaru admitted the way he announced his irritation with the situation had come out harsher than intended. His sibling started fidgeting then, a sign of nervousness that only made his displease raise. No matter how strong Inuyasha had come so far to be, the way he wore his heart on his sleeve would sooner or later be the cause of his downfall. It stole away one's element of the unknown, something more often than not was crucial in his side of the world. The less information the enemies had against him, the less chance they got to bring him down. Inuyasha always carried with himself a number of openings, just right there to be exploited however his enemies saw fit. The younger had strength of a predator but always behaved like a prey, sincerely so. The only time Inuyasha bit back was when he and those around him were threatened. The most notable thing was Inuyasha generally didn't hunt when he could help it, which was more related to his past experience of growing up in the wild than both Kikyo's and Kagome's influence as many believed so.

"I don't think it'll be something you don't know," Inuyasha closed his eyes and took a deep breath before determined golden orbs revealed themselves, staring into the older pair steadily, "I love you."

Sesshoumaru didn't prepare himself to be surprised to this extent. But to sum it up, he might have overlooked the difference between knowing and hearing it directly. He only had his centuries of practice in guarding his emotions when situations arose to thank for, that helped him hiding the little lapse of control over himself to still appear nonplus as usual. "And?" He crossed his arms inside his kimono sleeves, feeling the need to elaborate a little further so Inuyasha wouldn't have any reason to assume he was asking for a more detail version of that confession, managed to surprise himself at the frost in his own tone, "What are you expecting me to do about it, while I am incapable of returning the sentiment."

The long silence stretched on after his reply unnerved him to a certain point. And maybe, just maybe, he should have put more tact into it, had he been something else but himself. He was not made to be a loving kind of living being, even his own name screamed artist of massacre and he was proud of it if his manner of speaking was anything to go by.

A hollow chuckle reached his ears. He looked at what might be the start of his lengthy nightmare whenever he closed himself off to the world in repose next time. Inuyasha's smile through the profuse pain screaming in his eyes, those very expressive golden eyes so familiar yet so different from his, were more than telling him they were crying without tears. It was the second time he saw Inuyasha made that face. The first was when they both 150 years younger, Inuyasha had lived through half a century still looked no older than Rin at the time. He had come to let the still-infant know he was its sibling, and that didn't mean Inuyasha would get a shelter. No, the hanyou had earned himself another enemy if he could live long enough to be hunted down by this pure-blood demon sibling who loathed his existence with every fiber of his being. That instance he made a decision, Inuyasha had to hate him, hate him to the point the younger would never show that kind of expression to him ever again. That broken expression pulled at his heartstrings, he had felt too disgusted at himself for being the cause of it, to a child no less, but it was bearable because the loss of his Father was still so raw and hatred consumed him before remorse had the chance to further manifest itself.

"I have no expectation. You don't have to do anything. I guess I'm causing you enough trouble by telling you. I just want you to know." _That I love you_. Sesshoumaru hoped Inuyasha too, should have understood the negative response behind his silence for too many times, like he could hear the repeated words from his younger sibling, though unspoken. Inuyasha raised a hand and gripped his elbow, trying to stop the slight trembling that almost escaped Sesshoumaru's observing gaze. The older of the two did give him the credit and another level of respect, for the effort of keeping his voice steady despite himself.

"That feeling is nothing but a burden. Look at what it is doing to yourself. Or are you finding pleasure in having it turn you into a fool that you are at this moment after your failed romances with those two priestesses you had claimed to _love_?" Sesshoumaru remarked scathingly by the end of his words.

Young golden eyes widened at his mention of the females. Of course Sesshoumaru knew it was a low even for him, but he was the creature that had no trouble holding long grudge, waited patiently to use it to his advantage when needed. As if inherited Tessaiga was not enough to rub in his face whose child Inuyasha was, of all things, the hanyou had to follow that same old path of their Father, _twice_!

On side note, he had suspicion Inuyasha broke up with Kagome because of him. On the day Rin demanded him to go after Inuyasha and find out what had hogged the mind of _her sweetie Inuyasha-sama_ that he didn't escort her and Kagome to Jinenji as he usually would, opted to sit among the branches of the Goshinboku Tree staring into space for a whole week. And off he went, grudgingly, wondering why it was his business when it concerned Inuyasha's state of mind in the first place. Then telling Inuyasha if he already doubted his feeling for Kagome, recalled Kikyo for comparison and put them both out of their misery by ending their relationship before he leaded her on only to hurt himself and his priestess in the end. Inuyasha had done exactly that and things were back to normal after a distraught while, during when he had wisely made himself scarce until he deemed the coast was cleared. He just knew Rin was dying to pry his mouth open for more details that he refused to give. By the end of that anticlimactic event, Inuyasha didn't lose any of his loyal companions, and gained a best friend in Kagome who enjoyed her new status as the first person to know Inuyasha's most private secrets (much to Rin's charging, because his little girl had been proud of herself for being the first before Kagome beat her to it).

Speaking of private secrets, was Kagome aware of Inuyasha's feeling for him? Now that got his attention. The Inuyasha who knew him well would know better and keep his mouth shut before uttering that syllable of damnedest affection to him. High chance was that overly unpleasant reincarnated priestess (and his Rin, he grudgingly added) had told Inuyasha to go and let his feeling out. It rubbed him all the wrong ways with the direction his thought was going. That Inuyasha confessed not because the younger one wanted to, but someone told him and provided him the reason to do it. Sesshoumaru didn't comprehend his second lapse of control as his eyes narrowed.

But Inuyasha did, and took the hard gaze aiming at him as reinforcement for Sesshoumaru's earlier remark. "I'm… sorry," He managed, swallowed down the lump in his throat and broke their eyes contact to look at the valley on the left behind his older sibling. He was lucky enough that Sesshoumaru hadn't started sneering at his face and berating him for indecent feeling toward the most wrong living being to be in love with, first at their blood relate fact, and another fact that _nothing_ would come out as the result of their unbecoming union if the miracle that Sesshoumaru loved him back ever happened. But he was willing to trade his own life for that instance of happiness where Sesshoumaru hugged him tightly and repeat those same three words again and again in his ears. He wondered if this was what he had made Kagome feel on the day he told her he couldn't say that "ku-ro-bo-zu" words she had been dying to hear from him.

Sesshoumaru blinked at the almost whisper from his younger brother. Something immediately caused a tightening in his chest at the sight of Inuyasha avoiding his eyes, the sagging shoulders, the lowered of his triangle shape ears, the abuse Inuyasha was physically causing his own elbow. To his horror, he started feeling _something_. The _regret_ that he had said what he did. The _guilt_ that was rearing its ugly head the longer he witnessed Inuyasha trying to hold himself together to not break down, to not show weakness in front of him. The anger that he even _felt_ at all. But above everything, the previous hatred he only felt for Inuyasha was nonexistence when here was the most ideal chance to make itself known.

"I tried, to be less of a burden to you," Inuyasha slowly shook his head from side to side, "I don't know why I keep doing things to make you hate me more than you already are. Nothing seems to be done right between us. I'm sorry," He sighed wearily and, finally released his elbow, hands dangling at his sides and lifted his gaze at Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru wished he had looked elsewhere. He didn't like the mounting intensity of that pang in his heart at seeing Inuyasha like this. He didn't like the fact that he was unable to say anything purposely causing more harm to Inuyasha's psyche than good, to secure the normalcy of their relationship. He didn't like the way Inuyasha was smiling as if to convince the witness he was fine and fooling no one. He didn't like how Inuyasha said he was _sorry_.

"For bothering you with my feeling, among other things, I'm sorry." Inuyasha repeated in a pitifully defeated tone.

That did it. Sesshoumaru uncrossed his hands and turned his back to Inuyasha, ending this conversation and dismissed him altogether.

* * *

He wanted to kill something just for the fun of it.

The longer he ignored his need for rest, the more edgy he became to the point Jaken could feel something was off even as he appeared calm and collected and being his usual lordly self. The other demon dared questioning what happened to him once and efficiently got silenced by a look. Jaken smartly closed his mouth after that. He didn't need the world to know every time he closed his eyes, just momentarily, he would see Inuyasha dejected and miserable, smiling because he refused to let his tears fall in the crimson dusk that matched well with his fire rat robe. He was a breath-taking as well as heart-breaking sight when Sesshoumaru was simply too tired to deny it any longer.

His mind supplied this suddenly too tempting idea about using Tenseiga to revive all of his past adversaries, so he could entertain himself by killing them off all over again; if only their corpses had remained for him to go through with it.

Maybe he would thoroughly leave Inuyasha half-dead the next time their swords collided, for being the reason of his restlessness. Sesshoumaru paused. He was losing it. He had denied himself sleep no matter how short it was to not see Inuyasha behind closed lids. Now in waking moments, everything he did trail back to the source of his sleep-deprived state of mind! He even stopped visiting Rin to avoid inevitable encounter with the materialization of this madness. Why he was doing this at all? As far as he knew, Inuyasha had been in the receiving end of his hurtful words all his life. What made this any different? Why it disturbingly looked like he was running away… His fangs gritted at the mere indication and ridiculousness of that thought.

Another bunch of lesser demons threw themselves at him and swiftly had their souls dispatched to the other world with a flick of his wrist. A sneer made its way to the corner of his lips. Proud of themselves for being full-demons? Inuyasha proved himself to be a far better opponent even when without Tessaiga and he was only a _hanyou—_

Sesshoumaru growled. It was official. He truly, utterly, shamefully lost it.

The abrupt change direction of his Lord's boots was all of the signal Jaken needed to latch himself onto Mokomoko before Sesshoumaru took flight.

To the human village.

.

.

.

Instead of finding what he came to find, he saw Wolves. The same two Wolves he had encountered at Hakurei Mountain during his time hunting Naraku. The closer he approached Inuyasha's pack, the more his unease escalated. The faint scent of Inuyasha announced his lengthy absence that Sesshoumaru had no idea about. This couldn't be something big because Inuyasha had left all of his companions behind. A darker part of his mind whispered about the possibility that it could very well be too great that Inuyasha decided bringing them with him was unwise and had them all stayed where they were. He dismissed that notion as soon as it came. He had given Rin the means to call him whenever she needed, certainly she would notice him if _something_ did happen.

"—can't find him."

His ears caught the last bit of their conversation before his feet soundlessly touched the ground a little away from their crowd. He had more than enough of his share spending with their mismatch group to last an eternity, he didn't want to look like he was a part of them too.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Rin brightened up at the sight of him. That wasn't last long. As if remembering something, her enthusiasm dimmed and she started biting her bottom lip, seemingly held herself back from telling him something of highly important.

He silently regarded the others, noting their grim expression and rigid stance.

"Uh… you are…" One of the Wolf demons scratched his nape, the other crossed his hands and tilted his head, having no better idea.

Sesshoumaru took small satisfaction in enjoying the way those imbeciles swallowed in fear from the corner of his eyes the same moment he spared them a fleeting glance. "His scent on you is stronger than the rest," He stated, staring the Wolves down, "Where is Inuyasha." He didn't ask a question. If the curs knew what best for themselves they'd better spill the information to save their lives right about now instead of huddling together for warmth and clattering their pitiful fangs as if they were getting frostbites.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, please forgive their imprudence." The monk stepped up, shielding the cowering demons from his sight. _Pathetic_ , he would have told them so if he was not having a more pressing matter to deal with.

"They came to tell us they," The human male paused, his grip on his staff tightened, "Lost him."

* * *

Two claw fingers gripped his chin and jerked his head upward. Hisui, he had introduced himself so, younger brother of good ol' Menomaru. If one doubted his words, the way he looked like a one-year-younger version of said Menomaru would cut it.

"To think you are that infamous hanyou who happened to kill my brother and recently Naraku." The moth demon murmured in his natural innocent sweet voice.

If he had not landed his ass as prisoner of the deceiving bastard, he would believe that clueless wondering expression any day. Look could be misleading, especially those had the eyes of a guilelessly curious child that all you wanted to do was protecting it under your wings, until it stabbed you mercilessly in the back with the nastiest grin on its face. Nah. Their childhood stories were too familiar it could only be—had to be, a fraud. He should have been his cynical self, suspicious of the eyes that looked so much like himself when he was younger, out alone in the wild, had to rely in no one and nothing but himself, hated by everything and most of all, his own brother who was the living organism of perfection. Of course Sesshoumaru was around from time to time, to remind him of how he'd better off dead whenever something was about to kill him, ever only there to kill what supposed to be his murderers, dropped some more hurtful words, and left when there was nothing else could kill him even in his recuperating sleep. His eyes softened. _Sesshoumaru…_ His aloof and strong and calm and cold and manipulative sibling, who always made excuses to not finish him off time and again; who always there when he was on the verge of break down; who brought him to Tessaiga; who didn't really need to involve himself in his own fight against Naraku; who both indirectly and directly strengthened his bond with Tessaiga; who fought alongside him, gave him the support only someone of his caliber could provide so that his bothersome sibling could finish his business with Naraku one and for all; who always made the said bothersome sibling feel as if no danger could truly get to him whenever his presence was known. His unlikely protection, his subtle and antagonistic form of caring, his constant appearance wrapped heavily in the thin veil of mere coincidence…

A blow to the side of his face brought Inuyasha back to his opponent, who was tasting his blood on the tip of its claw.

"You," Hisui blinked, licking the crimson drop clean and stared at Inuyasha in contemplation, "Taste surprisingly well for a half-breed."

Inuyasha frowned. Before his open mouth could demand why the hell this deranged lunatic was keeping him alive, a tongue shoved down his throat. Golden eyes widened, bile raised and Inuyasha closed his jaw fast and hard as he could muster. His fangs however clamped down on nothing as he involuntarily gulped down air to fill his deflated lungs, along with something that disgusting tongue had forced him swallow before it withdrew.

Laughter echoed in his ears, whispering promises that only sounded like the most hilarious nightmare before darkness claimed his mind.

* * *

"Why didn't you call me?" It took everything in him to not lash out at her. His trembling fists hiding inside his sleeves reminded him of a fact this was _Rin_ he was talking to. And because this was Rin, he needed his patience, long enough to hear her side of the story. But hell if he didn't felt utterly betrayed at the moment, much so that he had turned his back to her for the sake of letting her know how angrily disappointed with her he was in the matter. She used to tell him everything she knew about Inuyasha, wishing to nurse their scarred brotherhood to relatively resemble what between the demon-slayer siblings. She even took advantage of his soft spot for her to go as far as sending him to counsel Inuyasha's ludicrous love life on several occasions before and after the priestess came back. But she withheld from telling him Inuyasha had left to take care of the cursed Hyoga's remnant. At least she was not to be blamed alone. It had also been partly his fault to steer clear of the village like a plague because focusing on denying thoughts about Inuyasha had occupied the most rational part of his brain to think about anything else. Had he not developed such a—

"He… he told me not to say anything to you…" Rin mumbled in a strangle voice through her tears, she had started crying not long after his arrival, "He said… that he…" Her breathed hitched. He closed his eyes, steeling himself to not turn around and gather her in his arms like a parent consoling their overly distressed child, knowing that would only increase her hysteria instead of a calming effect the gesture was supposed to have.

"He had look so sure that he would be able to take them by himself!" She cried through her dribbling salty bitterness, small hands gripping the neckline of her kimono to hold in the anguish that didn't go along well with what she had believed in Inuyasha's parting words, "He said with the Kouga Clan and his demon friends, there would be no problem! That there is no need to bother you!"

Golden eyes sprang open widely, pupils dilated. _"Bother…?"_ He managed over an inaudible gasp, a sick feeling raised from his stomach.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, why did he come back looking more heartbroken than when he left?!" She yelled at his back at the top of her lungs, "And you didn't come around at all! What have you been doing to the both of you!"

"Rin." He warned but turned rigid when he felt small fingers grabbed the end of his long kimono sleeve.

"Please, Sesshoumaru-sama," She kneeled by his side and looked up at him through wet lashed and puffy begging eyes, "Please find him, bring him back… Please fix this, Sesshoumaru-sama…!" Her hands loosened on his sleeve and she gripped the grasses in her small hands, screamed out for her Inuyasha-sama to come back.

Before he knew it, he was embracing her tightly in his arms, buried his face in her hair, her cry muffled by his clothes and Mokomoko. "I will," He whispered in her ears, more to himself and for her sake, _"I will."_

"Sesshoumaru… sama…" She hiccuped miserably in the middle of a smile slowly visible in the corner of her mouth.

* * *

"What on earth…!" Myoga gaped from his place atop Kirara's head.

"The Tree of Ages is…" Kagome stared, unable to make sense with what it was before her eyes.

Sesshoumaru ignored them and descended on where the ancient Tree used to be, now was no more than an enormous hole in the ground as if… "Something uprooted it."

"That can't be possible, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Myoga squeaked from his right shoulder, the annoying flea had latched onto him before he was out of range, "Only a daiyoukai as yourself can do such a thing! From what Kouga and the panther group told me, the last of Hyoga Clan was nowhere close to your and Inuyasha-sama's caliber."

"You may want to reevaluate that underrate analyzation of yours," Sesshoumaru glared at his Father's old advisor from the corner of his eyes, "A weakling as you said is strong enough to capture Inuyasha when he has been at his peak?"

"I don't know. His strength was fine, but _he_ didn't look fine to me."

Sesshoumaru turned toward the new voice a little to his left. So this was the same Kouga he had met at Hakurei Mountain after all.

"Explain." Sesshoumaru ordered, moving his gaze back to the glistering ground. There was moth powder littered everywhere, like the perpetrator purposely left it so to give them no doubt about who had got it done, not in the least trying to hide his achievement.

"Inuyasha fought one of this kind before so we have no problem letting him take the lead. Besides, he earns more than enough respect from defeating Naraku already. But that's not the point! You should see how he derived a plan to hunt them down with little to no casualty right on the spot, especially when he'd already known their boss's weakness! Our kids are totally head over heels with him! Imagine how the bitches went nuts after I told them he's still single and available!" Kouga went on but Sesshoumaru already tuned him out, if only to keep the Wolf alive long enough until he had no further need of him. That seemed to lift the humans' mood however, which he deemed better than worse for him because he refused to babysit their wounded pride from being left behind by Inuyasha. He still had _his_ to look after right now and catering for their needs instead of murdering them all was fortunately the last thing in his mind.

"Do you even hear me after asking so nicely for more details about your sibling, huh?! He looked like a kicked puppy that made my pack swoon at the sight of him! One of the cat even actually went licking his face to snap him out of it!" Kouga shook his fist in the Dog demon's direction, still smartly standing out of whipping range for the sake of securing his life.

Myoga hopped away as soon as he sensed the immediate darkening in his Lord's aura before his demonic pressure exploded the area around him. "FOOL!" He screeched at Kouga, now back to Kirara's head when he called her for help of emergency relocation, "Don't anger Sesshoumaru-sama! You are risking our lives here!" But Sesshoumaru already unsheathing Bakusaiga and he realized what was about to come from the corner of his eyes, "Hold him back Kouga! It's good to know you! Good bye!" He turned around at the human group, only for his words to die in his throat when he noticed them looking at something above their heads.

"Oh my God…" Sango and Miroku gulped, unblinking. Kagome could only open and close her mouth, momentarily rendered speechless.

"It's the Lady's…" Kohaku trailed off, realizing the familiar heavy pressure of Demon Castles, especially a certain one with highest level of purity that he had encountered up to now, unlike Naraku's.

"I think I am hallucinating, there is a floating castle appears out of nowhere." Kagome muttered under her breath, having half of a mind to turn around looking for the camera crew hiding in a bush but reminded herself it was still 500 years and more too early for this kind of reality _and technology_.

"Imbeciles!" Jaken shrieked from behind Kohaku on Ah-Un, "That is the Royal Castle of his Honorable Lady Mother! Be honored your mortal eyes get to see it for once in your pathetic lives!"

"Sesshoumaru's…?" Kagome frowned at the new information. So there was _another_ mysterious parent after all.

A blinding light appeared from the top of the castle and shot in Sesshoumaru's direction, pierced through his demonic barrier and further destroyed the area upon collision.

"Whew," Kouga whistled, sat down beside Kagome across Miroku and Shippo on Hachiemon's back, "I don't know about you but I think my life was saved at the nick of time." He peeked down at where he last saw Inuyasha's sibling, "Geh, so scary. I start feeling sorry for Inuyasha having to grow up with such a humorless sibling. Who shoved a stick up his ass?"

"Do you mind getting off Kouga- _kun_?" Miroku suggested with a strained smile, one of his brow twitching, "We _really_ don't want to get caught in something meant to kill _only_ you."

Kouga grunted dismissively and crossed his arms, but his expression sobered instantly. "Alright, monk," He nodded at Miroku, "Spill what you know, preferably what the hell happened between Inuyasha and that mad dog down there. I don't like the look in his eyes when I mentioned Inuyasha."

"The look in his eyes?" Kagome asked instead, seeing Miroku was getting uncomfortable with the question, and she was more than sharing his feeling on the sensitive topic.

"Just an example for your sake. I supposed that's how I would have looked like when by chance I caught someone rutting with Ayame behind my back, but I didn't have the require power to go as far as what he could do." The Wolf leader shrugged, "If Ayame was going to be truly happy with someone else other than me, I'd let her go, _eventually_. That's the difference. He wouldn't. I don't know the nature of their relationship, but when Karan of the Panther Tribe asked about 'Sesshoumaru', Inuyasha went silent and shut us out. And when I provoked Sesshoumaru earlier, he was hairbreadth away from running his claws through my head." Kouga raised his eyebrow at Kagome, giving her an impressed smirk, "I don't know how you, Kikyo included, are even alive with someone like him around Inuyasha."

"What do you mean?" All the adult humans asked incredulously.

"I told you!" Rin huffed in the front of Kohaku, petting the two-heads dragon in reassurance when he made a whiny noise futilely trying to stop her, "Sesshoumaru-sama is madly in love with Inuyasha-sama!" There was a creepy spark in her eyes as she announced it.

"No, Rin…" Miroku pinched the area between his brows, sighing heavily, "That can't be. Inuyasha left to confess to him and came back more upset than we thought he was capable of, to the point we all dared not to ask him what happened."

"Because…" She sniffled, expression turned sour and tightened her grip on Ah-Un's reign near Kohaku's hands, "SESSHOUMARU-SAMA IS AN IDIOT!" Screamed the distressed girl.

Sesshoumaru's eyes twitched, glaring in the direction of his useless entourage and berated himself for bringing them with him when all they did was gossiping behind his back than being anything remotely helpful.

"I see you have got yourself a handful here, Sesshoumaru," She tilted her head, silently scrutinized him, "Too full that you lost something without realizing it."

"Not for long." He hissed icily.

"Even if you do realize he could be completely broken by now?"

His eyes widened, both of them could hear a crack starting on the edge of his nonchalant façade, "What are you—"

She raised her hand, holding several objects. He forced his eyes to look at them despite his instinct told him not to.

Kouga looked down, fully alerted when twin bursts of demonic aura sizzled the air. Within the sandstorm, a disembody shadow slowly took form surrounded by the electric current until a majestic white dog emerged—

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome gasped.

A loud growl grumbled in his chest before he released an earth-shattering roar to the darkening sky, slit dark sapphire pupils ate the crimson irises almost completely.

"He lost control!" Kouga snarled, crouching low and calculated his next move to hold Sesshoumaru back long enough for the humans to escape, "That dog can no longer tell friend or foe now! Get away!" As soon as he said it, another white dog rammed itself at Sesshoumaru from the side, pinning him to the ground after their rolling stopped. The Wolf demon blinked and relaxed his hind legs, still high on alert but no longer of urgent, "On second thought, let's watch."

While everyone was irritated by Kouga's behavior, Kagome caught something from the corner of her eyes. Among the flying debris, there were… "The Beads of Subjugation…"

But it was in pieces.

TBC.

* * *

Note:

1\. The "ku-ro-bo-zu" (Kuro Bozu = Black Monk, a youkai from Japanese's 100 Ghost Stories with nothing religious despite his name) is in fact the word "propose" which is "puropozu" in romaji, that appeared in Inuyasha CD Drama. So in this drama, Kagome demanded Inuyasha propose (puropozu) to her, but he heard it as "kuro bozu" (funny that, with his superb hearing and all).

2\. "Hisui" means Jade. Since all character names related to Hyoga the Moth demon clan in the first Movie of Inuyasha franchise are named after gemstones, I chose "Hisui" for our OC antagonist because I think I can't revive Menomaru no matter where I looked for a possibility. I even considered adding "maru" in his name but Hisui lacked some certain things aside from being young to obtain it so I leave his name as that. I did consider about Magatsuhi but he doesn't have a fitting background of "something that hates only the Inuyoukai" - which I am looking for. And since Menomaru was portrayed after Sesshoumaru, I created Hisui after Inuyasha.

I've been checking my laptop for suspicious virus(es) these days and came upon this little one which I started at an early day of this year and half way through, so adding it to my mountain of priority writing list, I'm half-dead by now. I think it's very easy for you to know what's going to happen next with all the cliché setting, so yeah, I'm not going to say it. Seriously, I just wanted to write something like Sesshoumaru being a bastard rejecting Inuyasha and then Kagome picked up the pieces, so Sesshoumaru goes jealousy to win Inuyasha back, all soap opera melodramatic like that because I often steer clear of stories with the same path and then, I really have no idea how it turned out this way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Inuyasha Series** **© Rumiko Takahashi**

* * *

 **2.1. And then she...  
**

* * *

This was pathetic…

The only consolation he got was Sesshoumaru fortunately rejected him, else he wouldn't know how to face his sibling with what had happened, still happening now, going to happen all over again, and it already felt like never-ending to him. How could he possibly want this? No, he wanted this, but not like this, not with _this_ demon!

The familiar tongue lapped at an old wound on his cheek and all he could do was biting his lip to keep himself from moaning at the pleasure sensation the disgusting moth had been forcing his body undergo.

"Submit to me, beloved Inuyasha," Continuous sweet-nothings whispered in his ears, again that same tongue trailed the outline of his lobe before swirling inside as far as it could go, and his body kept singing wantonly, begging for more. This had never been _right_.

" _He_ didn't come. _He_ hasn't come. _He_ will _not_ come for you." Hisui repeated those magic words he had been using. They both knew it would be the matter of time before he was completely broken the closer the truth drew near if it hadn't already been proven at this point. " _He_ does not want you."

Inuyasha shut his eyes tightly. That was the only thing he allowed himself to believe, backing up by his own proof. It didn't matter before, but Sesshoumaru certainly wouldn't want him now. Even he wouldn't want something truly filthy like himself now. Fangs nipping at his bruised lips, trying to pry them open. Vines tightened around his wrists and ankles the more he tried breaking free. But as he felt the distinct sensation of penetration from his long-abused entrance, his whole body went lax, light left his eyes. His mind retreated to the deepest part of his soul in the form of his child self, curling in Sesshoumaru's protective arms that his imagination had conjured up as the loving apparition of his brother hushed his frightened whimpers and licked his desperate tears dry, telling him Hisui could never reach them here, that he was safe in this world, the world of themselves, only two of them.

The damn moth could take his body all it wanted; but his mind and his heart, they only belonged to Sesshoumaru.

.

.

.

She turned to one side, immediately covered her mouth with her sleeves just as he opened his eyes. Sesshoumaru sat up abruptly only to be forced back down by the sharp spike of pain, starting from his abdomen and spread through his body, too much that he failed to hide a hiss in agitation. Before he could focus on his abnormal injury however, his attention was on her when he heard a violent cough followed right after with the scent of her blood. He gritted his fangs, bit through his body's protest to lift himself from her lap, albeit carefully this time, and asserted her well-being.

Neither of them sustained any blow fatal enough to possibly be the cause of this heavy damages they were experiencing.

Exerted more effort than he normally required, Sesshoumaru drew her to him, curled his Mokomoko around her frame protectively before he looked up, gathering demonic aura to his feet in preparation to reach her castle in one leap. He needed to get them in a safe area first, the rest could wait.

"Get us far enough for a descent, Sesshoumaru. I won't be able to hold it up in the next two days." She murmured to him, wrapped an arm around the back of his shoulder at his slight nod, her other hand moved to his stomach where all his pain was apparently coming from. Realizing what she was about to do, Sesshoumaru put his hand over hers and placed it over his shoulder too.

At her quiet inquiring gaze, he only shook his head, "Keep your strength. I can bear it."

She looked at him in silent contemplation before linking her hands around his neck. "I'm releasing it." She warned, cast a fleeting glance in the direction of his entourage right below her castle.

Sesshoumaru smirked, "If they get caught in something trivial like this, then they will not be of much use in the future."

"My, how cold of you." She chuckled, closing her eyes.

"Okay, now my survival instinct is going off." Kouga scratched the back of his head, "Not from below, but up there." He pointed his index finger upward as two shadows passed above his head, Ah-Un and Kirara.

"Hachi! Move away from the castle!" Kohaku yelled at the wide eyes Raccoon demon, who also caught on what was going to happen seeing the castle suddenly zoom over them.

"R—roger that!" But in his panic, Hachiemon did a flip in the air instead of turning his long body around before hightailing out of death door. Unprepared for the turn of event, the yelping Miroku was saved by Kirara and Sango during his freefall while Shippo turned into a pink balloon to get Kagome, who was screaming bloody murder. As for Kouga, he did a backflip and land perfectly on the same spot he had been sitting on the Raccoon demon's back.

They watched in awe as the castle crashed into the hole in place the Tree of Ages used to be and somehow fitted perfectly where it was.

"Hmm. This is the first time in my life I get to see the whole castle from above." Myoga stated on Kohaku's shoulder.

Miroku slapped a palm on his face, groaning aloud, "He didn't even alert us!"

"What do you mean, Myoga-sama?" Rin asked over her shoulder. Instead of staring at the castle like the rest, she looked around in hope of catching a glimpse of her Lord, patting the left dragon head gently, "Ah-Un, let's come down, I can't see him from here." The dragon growled in agreement and did as he was told.

"The Lady has been upholding a barrier to protect the castle from outside world. My Lord told me only the females of their clan possesses that ability. That's why it's a Lord's supreme honor to protect his Lady. Since the Inu no Taisho passed away, it's Sesshoumaru-sama's duty now. But—" Myoga cut himself off, eyes widened in realization, "Oh my God…!"

"What is it, Myoga?! Don't stop when you are in the middle of talking about something important!" Jaken squeaked angrily, waving his Nintojo around which was intimidating no one.

"It's not my place to talk about it." Myoga crossed his arms and grunted, "Anyhow, we need to find Sesshoumaru-sama if we are to get inside. Even when the barrier has vanished, there is still a number of the unknowns can happen to intruders."

"I found him!" Rin pointed at the staircases led to the castle entrance. Sesshoumaru, carefully carried the female demon in his arms, stood in the center of the steps and looked in their direction with disinterest.

Ah-Un growled and sped up to his master with the others followed after him.

"I guess they passed. How unfortunate." Sesshoumaru muttered under his breath but she heard him nonetheless and chuckled softly with her eyes still closed in repose.

.

.

.

The wounds he had received when she subdued him were all healed within half an hour but, Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at his hands. He was holding the child Inuyasha in that dream. He had said something to the hanyou, but he couldn't hear what. All he knew was it calmed Inuyasha down efficiently. The sensation was so real he could still feel the small weight in his arms and the damp on his attire where it had absorbed Inuyasha's tears… He ghosted his hand over his stomach, the phantom pain was still very prominent where no wound was…

"You were calling his name."

Sesshoumaru looked to his left where she was lying beside him.

She smiled at his confused face and lifted her hand to caress his cheek, "When all you know is the being you can't live without, your souls call out to each other. I anticipated your protectiveness but still got surprised by your possessiveness of him. As soon as I successfully linked your consciousness with him, you immediately repelled me."

His eyes widened in horror disbelief, "I…!" This finally made sense. She was not resting because of physical injuries he had caused. Her demonic resistance was harmed because somehow, he had hurt her by mentally rejected her presence in his mind. His hands curled into fists until his knuckles turned white. _What have I done!_

Before he instinctively recoiled, she shook her head and clasped his hands with hers, "Stay calm, Sesshoumaru."

"Mother, I…" Sesshoumaru exhaled in agitation and hugged her tightly, hiding his face and shame in her loosened silver hair (since her hair accessories had been destroyed earlier in the moment thing got ugly enough). Apology was insufficient. He didn't even know what would happen the next time she did it again. What could he do…

"Sesshoumaru, at this rate," She gripped his shoulders and looked at him through shimmering lashes, "Even Tenseiga and Meidou Stone will not be enough."

He was unable to look at her like this. She had been strong when his Father left her for Izayoi. She had been strong when her own son left her for two centuries. But now, now she was at the verge of breaking down for the offspring came from the betrayal of her mate. Sesshoumaru bowed his head, eyes shadowed by his bangs. " _No_ ," He told her coldly, hardened his hold around her, "We have had enough of this. You are to rest and recuperate. As soon as you are fine, we will leave. Back to the West. If _that hanyou_ is going to die, then this is it for him." His voice came out strong and steady despite how they sliced at his heart with each syllable escape his lips. "Besides," A dark smirk appeared on his previously emotionless face, "What good can he be when he was not even born with the ability to bear my heir for all the messes he had single-handedly caused? I have no ne—"

She put her finger on his lips to cut him off. When she was certain he wouldn't start ranting anymore, her hand moved to his cheek. "Your heart is in pieces." Her thumb wiped the lone droplet hanging heavily on his eyelash at the end of her statement, further proving her doubt of his acidic words.

"I am happy that I can finally get rid of him." He denied, held her to his chest and kept his chin above her head, where she would be unable to look at his face which was fairly betrayed him already.

"No. These are the tears of loss." She persisted, listened to his heartbeat by her ears, which was the second thing that was betraying him unless he was about to rip that out too.

"I always have you." He stated, ignored her previous observant.

"I am not enough." She admitted.

"I only need you!" He tried to convince her and they both heard how hollow it sounded in their ears.

"You can love him the way you always want," She whispered, angled her eyes to look directly into his, mindless of his silent tears as they pattered on her cheek, "You can _love_ him now, Sesshoumaru."

"I don't love him!" He snarled threateningly, jerked his face from her soothing touch in his frustration at her insistence, demanding angrily, "You are not supposed to get involved in this matter concerning him. You are not supposed to appear at this time and place. You are not supposed to be injured at all! Why have you come? What are you doing here!"

"I know this is the right thing to do." She replied, hesitantly pulled her hand back but before she could, he caught her wrist. She looked at her captive hand and back to him, but he had turned away, not meeting her gaze. "Sesshoumaru, what do you want to do?"

He closed his eyes with a long sighed, "To get you out of here, away from mortal's affair. To somewhere nothing can harm you."

"What about your promise with the young human child?" She inquired, covered his grip on her wrist with her other hand, silently asking him to look at her.

The crease between his brows deepened but he gave no response.

"Sesshoumaru…"

"I will not choose between you and Inuyasha. I can't lose you too." Sesshoumaru said finally.

"You have yet to lose him. You said it not long ago, have you forgotten?" She reminded him gently. He shook his head, but what was he denying, she wondered.

"The circumstance has changed. I can see clearly what needs to be done now that you are involved," He told her.

"How about what you want to do?" She pressed.

He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to answer, "To keep you safe—"

"I am safe now and you can continue doing what you want to do, what you have been doing before my arrival."

"No, the fact that thing of his was with you…" He closed his eyes with a tired sigh.

"You can't give up on him, Sesshoumaru. Only _you_ can't." She emphasized.

"Why," Sesshoumaru started, "You lot come to me whenever Inuyasha is concerned," He accused, letting loose a small portion of his irritation.

"Is it not because he is _yours_ to begin with?" She tilted her head, looking at him as if it was the obvious thing to point out to him.

"He is—!" _Not?_ Was it what he had been trying to deny? "I will kill him with my own hands," He corrected himself, repeated the only thing that always came out of his mouth automatically.

"Have you been hearing yourself, Sesshoumaru?" She patronized, "Have you heard it in your voice the stake you placed on him for as long as you said those familiar words to him and everything else you relatively view as threat to that claim of yours?"

Sesshoumaru only tightened his hold on her in warning. "You clearly have no idea about it."

She resumed caressing his cheek, her tone still very much reprimanded as it was consoling him at the same time, "I have enough sense to understand your language, Sesshoumaru. Because we are so alike, I look at you and am reminded of my younger self it could have been comical under other circumstance."

"What kind of fool would let you go," Sesshoumaru could have sneered if he found it in himself to do so. The reason he didn't was his awareness to the fact he was still feeling bitter that his Father had left the female in his arms for a woman, a _human_ at that.

"I believe it's mine and his problem, not yours, to put it bluntly. You merely use your position as our son to express your disdain to that fact, the fact that it was none of your business." She stated, noticed the way his eyes widened at being seen through, "You hate it when things get out of your control, you hate it when something stirs and changes the normalcy you are so used to, you hate _losing_."

He had nothing to even start denying. So the way he turned his head to the side and not meeting her in the eyes was the nearest he had ever come to sulking.

"If you want to abandon him, Sesshoumaru, I will not stop you, neither will I be happy or disappointed with your decision. Because this is between you and him, why would my opinion matter in anyway?" She told him, "In the end, I can only do what I want to do, as your Mother."

She removed herself from him and placed a distance between them until they sat facing each other. He was confused and it showed in his expression that prompted her to smile softly. "Starting now, I renounce you as my son, therefore strip of your position as my late Great General's son and heir. From here on you are no longer the Lord of Western Lands."

From the corner of her eyes, she spared the gaping onlookers by the entrance way, a group of mismatching demons and humans, a calculate glance and back to the demon used to be called her son moment ago, who, must be for the first time in his life, looked like he was speechless, disbelief, dread, and lost all at the same time.

TBC.

* * *

A/N: When my hobbies consist of writing and gaming (equally time-consuming), I can't do both beside having a life. Recently I'm taking a break from gaming to get back to writing so here you have it. I promise nothing about the speed of my update on any of my stories and which fandom I'll place on high priority (because there is none).

As for this chapter, I'd like to say this is an... unexpected development on my part. The later event that resulted in cliffy originally never happened but I guess I have become dramatic somewhere along the way as far as gaming goes (and why is that?)

So in this chapter we have:

Inuyasha: and then, instead of just finish me off for killing his brother, he decided to rape me. What the hell in this making any sense?

Sesshoumaru: shut up, I got disowned by my mother here.

Sesshoumaru's Mother: the antagonistic spotlight suddenly descended on me.

The rest: it's very easy to remember our script lines when there's not much to do.


End file.
